Mayport Ferry (Jacksonville, Tampa, Springfield: home, buy, school)

[madcapmagishion]

Originally Posted by crazynip

The skyway is a joke too. It goes from nowhere to nowhere.

No argument there.

[buddy5]

Originally Posted by madcapmagishion

Actually according to Wikipedia it is the last active ferry in Florida.
"The ferry has been operating since 1874 and is the last active ferry in Florida."
Mayport Ferry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

138 years, that's a reason to keep it going right there.

Originally Posted by JBtwinz

Florida does have other ferry's although your right the Mayport one is the only one to transport autos.

Again tit for tat, the Skyway costs 4M plus each year and it is free, surely they can subsidize the ferry for 750K. Extend the hours back to what they used to be and you will increase ridership.

Another thought, ridership seemed to go down around the same time the Kennedy left......

Can the skyway, use the 4 million to do the pillings.
The same 4 million for upgrades the following years.
The four people who ride it can find other means.

Originally Posted by crazynip

The skyway is a joke too. It goes from nowhere to nowhere.

First thing you have said that I agree with. If Jax is so bad,
stay in Tampa.

[madcapmagishion]

Money needs to be found for Mayport ferry

Posted: January 22, 2012 - 1:06am

January 22, 2012 - 12:06am
Money needs to be found for Mayport ferry
It turns out the Mayport ferry has fans, lots of them, and they’re vocal.
Ever since JaxPort’s chief executive officer, Paul Anderson, announced his attention to recommend pulling the plug on the ferry as a money-loser, there has been a growing clamor to keep it running.
It’s easy to understand why.
Without the ferry, which has operated since 1950, A1A would have a rather large hole in it, sending motorists using the state road on a long, time-consuming detour to continue on that route.
And as ecotourism grows, many of those motorists are going to be people visiting our great parks along A1A on both sides of the St. Johns River.
Those tourists will bring money and needed jobs to our economy.
Gov. Rick Scott wants to create jobs in Florida. Mayor Alvin Brown wants to create jobs in Jacksonville.
Shutting down the ferry would do just the opposite.
Speaking of a rather large hole, there’s the East Coast Greenway, a trail that’s being built that will stretch from Maine to Key West.
Much of the Greenway planned in Florida will be a separate wide path beside A1A. One-third of the trail’s 584 miles in Florida is already complete.
Where does that trail cross the St. Johns River? That’s right, the Mayport ferry.
So what’s the big deal about the East Coast Greenway? See above about eco-tourism and jobs.
There’s also the matter of Mayport Naval Station, which will grow with the addition of a nuclear aircraft carrier. The ferry is a vital access point.
Anderson says that revenue from fares — $5 for cars, $1 for bicyclists and pedestrians — doesn’t cover the cost of operating the ferry and that JaxPort has to spend about $750,000 a year to subsidize it.
That money, Anderson says, could be better spent on other JaxPort projects.
I could make a snide remark about the salaries, bonuses and raises JaxPort hands out while everyone else is cutting back in this tough economy, but I’ll be nice.
The bigger point is the state, not JaxPort, should be paying to operate the ferry since it connects a state road.
If the state doesn’t fulfill that responsibility, then another way must be found to keep the ferry running.
For those who argue that taxpayers shouldn’t have to subsidize a money-losing operation, here’s a gentle reminder:
Taxpayers subsidize the heck out of money-losing roads and bridges.
They do it every time they buy something in Jacksonville and pay a half-cent sales tax that supports the Better Jacksonville Plan road construction projects and another half-cent that replaced the bridge tolls.
They pay it even if they don’t use the roads or bridges that are funded with their tax dollars.
For the reasons above, keep the Mayport ferry running. There are other reasons as well, including that it’s just a neat ride.

ron.littlepage@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4284

copied from Jacksonville.com ... Money needs to be found for Mayport ferry | jacksonville.com

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by JaxBlueMan

Still a nice quaint reminder of the past, but not practical for the overwhelming majority of Duval citizens.

It's not whether it's a reminder of the past, rather, a practical way for many people to get across the river. It's not practical for all people any more than driving all the way out/up to the Dames Point Bridge is practical for all people.

The ferry runs at specific times. If you pay attention to the schedule, there is no way it's faster to drive out/up to the bridge then all the way back. Now, the schedule may not be practical for everyone's schedule either.

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by JBtwinz

Two wrongs do not make a right but if the JTA can continue to bleed red and the Skyway continues to move back and fourth in JaX without charging passengers then why is it so imperative for the ferry to turn a profit? Perhaps Jaxport should not have spent so much money buying property in Mayport only to do a complete 180 on putting a cruise terminal in. Talk about a hard to get to cruise terminal. That would have been a long ride from the airport for those passengers flying in, not to mention the lack of hotels close by.

Exactly. As I've said, this is a political issue, not a money issue...

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by crazynip

One should rather ask, why the hell is it still even operating? It's not like it's the only way in and out. There are these things called bridges: USE THEM.

Dont like having to drive a little further? LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE.

People should have be having to subsidize people's driving situations.

Ferrys became obsolete 60+ years ago, it figures ass backwards Jax is the only one that hung on. Maybe it operates on the noxious gas in the atmosphere or pollution from the st. johns

Hmm, your comments, well, make absolutely no sense.

Right, we'll all pick up and move.

You subsidize things you don't use ALL of the time when you pay your taxes. Why aren't you complaining about that? ALL of public transportation is subsidized by you and me and... The police department is subsidized, schools, roads, etc. I could go on.

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by JaxBlueMan

I'm sure that you realize that the Staten island ferry isn't really free. It's being paid for by taxpayer dollars. And I'm sure that if it's ridership fell to the level of the Mayport ferry, NYC would close it down in a heart beat. Particularly, if NYC had just built a new bridge that connected Manhatten to Staten Island.

As are all other forms of public transportation (paid for by tax dollars). So what's your point?

And I think you underestimate the ridership at the ferry. You make it seem like it just goes back and forth with no cars on it. We ride on it (at least) a couple of times a month. I've never seen it less than half full and usually it's almost full.

I don't believe (for a second) it's a lack of ridership issue. It all goes back to the political wrangling which has gone on for way before I moved here.

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by JaxBlueMan

And we haven't even talked about the 4 million repair costs...

We have. I don't buy the cost. $4 million...really!!?? For what? Are they putting in GOLD pilings???

Common sense tells us it doesn't cost that much to, "repair," the landings. Heck, they could build new landings for less than that!

[JaxBlueMan]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

It's not whether it's a reminder of the past, rather, a practical way for many people to get across the river. It's not practical for all people any more than driving all the way out/up to the Dames Point Bridge is practical for all people.

The ferry runs at specific times. If you pay attention to the schedule, there is no way it's faster to drive out/up to the bridge then all the way back. Now, the schedule may not be practical for everyone's schedule either.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but from where I live, it is quicker for me to use the Dames Point. I've tried it both ways.

I'm not interested in having to check the ferry schedule, before I decide what time I need to leave my house. Whether I'm sitting in my car while waiting for the ferry, or sitting in my home waiting for the correct time to leave for the ferry, it's still a wait, and it's still wasted time. And even if I did check the schedule, there's still no guarantee that I would be able to get my car onto the ferry. It might be full, which means that I'd have to sit there for another 30 minutes waiting for it to come back across. That's happened to me more than once.

The only people that save time using the ferry, are the one's living in Mayport, Atlantic beach, and possibly Neptune Beach. It's only practical for these people. If it was practical for more people, the ridership wouldn't be falling. I'm pretty sure that most people aren't going out of their way to use the Dames Point, just to upset you, and undermine your argument. They're doing it, because it's the best option for them.

If the ferry is the best option for you, and is so important to the people of Mayport and Atlantic Beach, then those towns should raise their own taxes to pay for the ferry operation. The majority of the rest of Duval County, doesn't seem to care much one way of the other. We just don't want to have to pay to subsidise your convenience, especially when there is a perfectly viable option like the Dames Point. It's simply not money well spent for the overwhelming majority of Duval and Jacksonville residents

If Mayport and AB feels it's so important, they should put their money where their mouth is, and pay for it themselves. Either that, or lobby the State to pay for it.

So say us, the majority of citizens of Duval County and Jacksonville.

[JBtwinz]

Originally Posted by JaxBlueMan

Sorry to burst your bubble, but from where I live, it is quicker for me to use the Dames Point. I've tried it both ways.

I'm not interested in having to check the ferry schedule, before I decide what time I need to leave my house. Whether I'm sitting in my car while waiting for the ferry, or sitting in my home waiting for the correct time to leave for the ferry, it's still a wait, and it's still wasted time. And even if I did check the schedule, there's still no guarantee that I would be able to get my car onto the ferry. It might be full, which means that I'd have to sit there for another 30 minutes waiting for it to come back across. That's happened to me more than once.

The only people that save time using the ferry, are the one's living in Mayport, Atlantic beach, and possibly Neptune Beach. It's only practical for these people. If it was practical for more people, the ridership wouldn't be falling. I'm pretty sure that most people aren't going out of their way to use the Dames Point, just to upset you, and undermine your argument. They're doing it, because it's the best option for them.

If the ferry is the best option for you, and is so important to the people of Mayport and Atlantic Beach, then those towns should raise their own taxes to pay for the ferry operation. The majority of the rest of Duval County, doesn't seem to care much one way of the other. We just don't want to have to pay to subsidise your convenience, especially when there is a perfectly viable option like the Dames Point. It's simply not money well spent for the overwhelming majority of Duval and Jacksonville residents

If Mayport and AB feels it's so important, they should put their money where their mouth is, and pay for it themselves. Either that, or lobby the State to pay for it.

So say us, the majority of citizens of Duval County and Jacksonville.

Good points given, but why as a taxpayer would you settle for a 4M free people mover that only benefits a small group of people and is closed on the weekends and late night? The reason ridership has gone up recently is that it is for free. Did 0.50 cents make that much of a difference?